There are "grave concerns" for two men still missing in south-east Queensland's floods, which have killed eight people and damaged at least 18,000 homes.
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There were blue skies over much of the region on Tuesday morning but major flooding is under way on the Brisbane, Logan, Bremer and Mary rivers, and Warrill Creek after the torrential downpours of the past week.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll says two men are still missing, one who fell from a boat into the Brisbane River on Saturday and another who was washed away in his car near Glen Esk on Sunday.
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Brisbane received the equivalent to 80 per cent of its annual rainfall in two to three days, more than it did during the 1974 floods.
"This event, in most instances, is bigger than ex-tropical cyclone Oswald and ex tropical-cyclone Debbie, it's bigger than 1974 in terms of the rain event," Ms Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.
"And honestly, I don't think anyone was ever expecting that we get this on the top of a two-year pandemic."
She said the Brisbane River would remain at an elevated 3.5m level, after it peaked at 3.85m on Monday, for the next three to four days amid staged flood mitigation releases from Wivenhoe Dam upstream.
Ms Palaszczuk said the forecast was mostly clear on Tuesday and Wednesday, but rain could return Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a possible severe thunderstorm with damaging winds and localised heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding in Brisbane on Thursday afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services made another 16 rescues and responded to 256 calls for help overnight and into Tuesday morning.
QFES Commissioner Greg Leach said they had also made 630 rescues and responded to 10,000 calls since the rain began on Tuesday, and there was still a backlog.
Looter arrested and charged
Meanwhile, Commissioner Katarina Carroll also said she was "disappointed and disgusted" that the homes of people forced to evacuate in the Ipswich area had been looted.
A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with burglary on Monday with Police Minister Mark Ryan irate about flood looters.
Meanwhile, a crane on a floating pontoon that broke loose from its moorings near the Story Bridge on Monday has been stabilised.
Australian Associated Press
